Directions:
Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. When the oil is hot add the chiles and peppercorns and stir-fry for a few seconds until they are fragrant, breaking the peppercorns a bit with the back of a spoon. Next, add the shallot, rehydrated mushrooms, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for an additional minute. Add the shrimp and vegetables and stir-fry for a few minutes. When the shrimp is almost fully cooked, pour in the sauce and stir-fry, taking care that the sauce is evenly distributed, until the shrimp is fully cooked and pink.

My thoughts:

Sichuan (AKA Szechwan, Szechuan) peppercorns, are the last culinary coup around these parts. Finally located* after many, many months of searching local shops, I finally got to experiment with them. While they may be called "peppercorns", it is a bit of a misnomer as they are actually the outer pod (the seeds are removed) of a fruit and aren't related to chiles or pepper. They are used in many spicy dishes but they are not what is generally thought of as hot and don't have a pungent aroma like chiles. They do have sort of citrus flavor. So if they are not hot, then why are they used so frequently in spicy dishes? They have a chemical that causes an interesting tingle and numbness in the mouth that really sets off any sort of spiciness. It's not a "fresh from the dentist" numbness but sort of a subtle almost cooling, tingle in your mouth and throat. Adding the dried red chiles to the dish creates a meal that is pleasantly spicy but not burn-your-mouth hot.

*At Towson Oriental Market, for you locals. Ask at the counter for help because they look a lot like another spice, are not labled in English and the design of the packaging makes it difficult to make out their distinctive shape.

mmm, I just had some great numbing hot chicken the other day. One question though: what is black vinegar? Is there some other name that it might go by? I am pretty familiar with the ol' Asian market but I don't think I have ever heard of black vinegar.

Hey Rachel, I just made this tonight but with tofu instead of shrimp. I made an extra batch of the sauce, minus the cornstarch, and marinated the tofu in it while I cut up the other stuff. I found black vinegar at my local Chinese grocery labeled only as "Great Wall Vinegar". A tip for anyone else looking for Szechuan peppercorns: mine were labeled "Chinese prickly ash", which is the same thing. Anyhow, it's great! Thanks for the recipe!